Faerie Cards and Techniques Video by Dave Brethauer

03/16/2017

Welcome everybody! I am happy to share a special video with you today featuring all of the faerie dies from Poppystamps. I will apologize in advance - when I sat down to play with the dies my intention was to create two projects using a single technique. But, before I knew it I realized I had two very different techniques in mind and I ended up creating 5 different projects.

OK, maybe 6 different projects. So please forgive me, this video is long.

As in, I may be able to submit it as a documentary at a film festival. (smile)But I think you will understand! If you are like me, once you start on a card project, the wheels start turning and you begin to think of other things - and then one thing leads to another and you realize you have over 2 hours of video footage.

So what is the video about? Well, it incorporates our faeries into some very special projects.

I wanted to create backgrounds that would really compliment the faeries - lots of color, layers of splattery techniques, bright white spots against an inked background and some watercolor that captured the look of light reflecting in a pool.

The Dancing Faerie and the Posing Faerie were designed with the Dandelion Stem in mind. When I drew the artwork for the Dandelion Stem I wanted to make sure that it was a good size to use on its own but I also liked the idea of faeries holding it. So I scaled the faeries and drew the hands "just so" - in order so that one of the faeries could hold onto the stem! I wanted to make them as versatile as possible for all sorts of scenes. The backgrounds are created using a simple watercolor technique that I share in the video using Peerless watercolors - they are so intense and blend beautifully.

I had to try things out in different color schemes too - if you keep the faeries as black silhouettes, then this card works with any color combination!

And do you see that leftover stem that is cut out of the watercolor background? You can use it to create a second card with a dramatically different look...

The contemporary style cards make good use of the leftover stem! The sentiment in the Corner is from the CL405 Hope and Thanks Clear Stamp Set - it is full of all sorts of messages that you can mix and match to create a variety of cards! I created the frames using two different Memory Box Open Studio Die Sets - the Circle Basics set and the Square Basics set. There are so many different sizes in here - and you just mix and match to make the size frame that you want - and then nest the different colors together.

I used the same faeries again for the next project - this time incorporating a different background technique with our super popular Birch Collage die. I wanted to achieve the look of fireflies - some brilliant white dots against a blended background, as well as some darker areas for visual interest. I show this technique in the video too - you will love it. I kept trying different combinations of color - and applying ink before the splatter drops were dry, to achieve all sorts of looks.

After this project - I had so many creative juices flowing that I just kept going. I have only designed 4 faerie dies but there were so many interesting things to do with them!

I wanted to create a "Butterfly Faerie" card - so I composed a scene with the Hampstead Butterfly Stem and surrounded her with "Faerie Drops" and lots of intense inked color. There was something so mesmerizing about the splash of white against the colorful background - which led me to a little more experimentation with this technique. Adding layers of color, and layers of drops...

I hope you can see how I got carried away. My short craft video somehow changed into an artistic journey!

Oh - but then I thought of all the scenes I could make! I really love the idea of craft dies that can work together to create a special scene - and I had this in mind when I designed these forest dies. The Memory Box 99713 Timberland Collage, the 99720 Grove Collage, the 99726 Thicket Collage and the 99732 Wildwood Collage can all be used together (or mixed and matched) to create a tunnel effect on cards or in paper craft projects.

So next - another scene. I had actually been thinking of this one months ago. When I designed the faeries - I knew I wanted to create a shaker card at some point, and making a Garden Lantern die seemed like a good shape to hold the faerie.

My idea was that the Dainty Faerie would be glowing - and light would be spilling out of the lantern and onto the card. I added the droplets against the background color and decided that a few Memory Box 99751 Little Dragonflies would be perfect flying around the scene.

And that lantern? In the video I show you an easy way to achieve a weathered metal look using alcohol inks - it almost looks like bronze when you are finished!

Once you've finished your background techniques, it's a breeze to put together the shaker card - I just added a pinch of tiny sequins and sealed up the window and it was ready to go.

Wow!!! Great techniques! Great cards! Definitely a video worth watching no matter how long. I can hardly wait to give these techniques a try. Thanks for a phenomenal video and all the great inspiration!

I go Gaga over all things faeries and your lovely creAtions don't disappoint! Magical and fun! I am definitely getting these faerie dies, lantern die, mushrooms and toadstools dies, frogs and all the collage dies so I can try my hand at your magnificent tunnel card!
Total perfection if you ask me! TFS!

WoW!!! Thank you for sharing this amazing tutorials video. This is exactly the video I have been wishing for! I love all the faerie dies. I have the thoughtful faerie, I think she is my favourite. I want them all. Thank you also for using the woodland collage dies, I want all of those too. When I viewed them on the web site, I thought they would be perfect with the faeries. I love making scene cards, and I am very happy when there are dies that go together to achieve the look I want. Excellent backgrounds that use ink dyes and watercolours and supplies I already own. This video helps to boost my creativity and use my dies and supplies in creative art ways.
Jacquelene L
Canada

Absolutely stunning and gorgeous creations! Each one so exquisitely unique! I love the color combos as well! The colors really allow for the details to pop! Thank you so much for sharing and for the video too!